1. General understanding of the Rulebook

The following rulebook is a guide document which is valid for all stages of the tournament. Administration Team reserves the right to make amendments to the rulebook with or without prior notice to the players. The Administration Team are the decision makers for all cases and disputes which may occur and are not written in this rulebook.

1.1. Rights

All broadcasting rights of the League are owned by Supercell. This includes but is not limited to: Video streams, TV broadcasts, shoutcast streams, replays, demos and live score bots.

1.2. Prize Money

All prize money will be paid out, at latest 90 days after the Monthly finals have been completed. If a Team or Player is missing the proper payment information and makes no effort to fix this, the prize money will not be paid out until this is rectified.

1.3. Organisers

The Brawl Stars Championship Regional Online Qualifiers and Monthly Finals are organized on behalf of Supercell Oy by:

ESL Gaming Polska sp. z o.o.

1. Żeliwna 38, 40-599 Katowice

NIP: 525-24-78-330

REGON: 142403601

KRS: 0000356059

1.3.1 Tournament Administration

The Tournament Administration team will consist of employees of both ESL Gaming Polska Sp. z o.o. and Supercell Oy.

1.4. Game version

All players must install the newest version of the game in order to participate in tournaments hosted by the Tournament Administration. Updates must be installed before the tournament starts.

1.4.1 Patch

All online matches will be played on the patch available on the live servers at the time of a match. All offline matches will be played on the live server and the devices provided by the Administration Team..

1.5 Rule Changes

The Administration Team reserves the right to amend, remove, or otherwise change the rules outlined in this Rulebook, without further notice. The Administration Team also reserves the right to make a judgment on cases that are not explicitly supported, or detailed in this Rulebook, or to make judgments that even go against this Rulebook in extreme cases, to preserve fair play and sportsmanship.

1.6 Confidentiality 

The content of protests, support tickets, discussions or any other correspondence with the Administration Team are deemed strictly confidential. The publication of such material is prohibited without prior written consent from the Administration Team.

1.7 Alcohol or other psychoactive drugs 

To play a match, be it online or offline, under the influence of alcohol or other psychoactive drugs is strictly prohibited, and may lead to severe punishment.

1.8 Participation requirements and restrictions

In order to participate in tournaments hosted by ESL, you must meet the following requirements:

• All players should hold valid travel documents for travel (including passports) ready before participating.
• The Tournament administration will provide Hotel and flight booking, shuttles in the country of the tournament and official Tournament Invitations for all players participating in the offline events.
• Players are solely responsible for acquisition of the VISAs, if needed to travel to the country hosting the offline tournaments. The Tournament Administration can provide help and guidance on the visa application process.
• All players must be 16 years of age or older on the day of the online Regional Online Qualifier.
• Players below the legal age of 18 must provide a document of consent signed by their parent/legal guardian to participate in the offline tournaments. The Tournament Administration will provide the document template to the participants.
• All players must be registered on the ESL Play platform.
• All players must have a Brawl Stars account and associated Supercell ID.
• All players must have obtained the maximum 15 wins in the latest in-game Championship Challenge in order to participate in the Regional Online Qualifier for that month. Exception here is the case of competing in the Monthly finals described in 2.7.6.

If you do not meet these requirements you will be deemed ineligible.

In case a team which does not fulfill the requirements qualifies through this tournament, the team will lose the right to the qualifier and the next top qualified team will take their place.

Only the players that have won 15 games and not lost more than 3 games in the Championship Challenge will be eligible to take part in the Regional Online Qualifiers. Any team that has ineligible players in the lineup will not be able to check-in to Regional Online Qualifier cup. The eligible players are allowed to freely create their teams for the Regional Online Qualifiers and will not be forced to participate in the same lineups as they did in the Championship Challenge. After the team has received ranking points for the World Finals, roster rules start to apply, and changing the roster might result in the loss of ranking points.

1.8.1 Team Size and roster rules

A team can only have 3 or 4 players in their active lineup, however it is strongly suggested to have 4 players in the lineup, both for competitive reasons, as well as team stability.

Once the team has earned ranking points, roster rules start to apply:

• Teams can only add 1 player per Half season:
  • January 19th until May 31st
  • June 1st until October 3rd
• Teams can remove the players freely, but the roster has to consist of at least 2 players at all times (even between the tournaments).
• If a team makes no changes in the first half of the season, their allowed roster move action does not carry on into the second part of the season. They will be able to make one change in the second half.
• If a team has 4 players and they want to add a new player, they will always have to remove one first.
• If a team has 3 players and they want to remove a player, they will always have to add one immediately.
• Based on time and other factors such requests may be denied.  
• If a team would break one or more of these rules, it will lose all ranking points it earned before breaking the rule, but will be allowed to earn new points after breaking the rules.

For offline events, the Administration Team will cover the Travel and Accommodation costs for 4 people.
"If a team has only 3 players, the Team Captain can choose who the 4th person covered will be, but the 4th person has to be involved with the team (substitute, coach, manager, guardian, parent). The 4th person is required to accompany the team to the venue and media sessions. If the team wishes additional people join the event, this will have to happen at their own cost, but the Administration Team will assist with information pertaining to flight and hotel information to ease travel planning."

1.8.1.1 Team Captain

The Team Captain is the person defined by the ESL Play page. After the team has earned points, the following rule starts to apply:

• More than 50% of the team must email the Administration Team to change their captain.

1.8.1.2 Slot ownership

The Slot in the Monthly Finals or the World Finals belongs to the members of the team. It does not belong to the organisation owning the team. The team has to abide by the roster rules if it wants to keep the slot in the Monthly Finals or World Finals.

• Tournament administration allows any organisation to own and operate a maximum of two teams in the Brawl Stars Championship. If an organisation owns two teams in the championship, their names have to be clearly distinguishable, eg. “El Primo Red” / “El Primo Blue”

1.8.1.3 Team name

The teams are expected to be consistent with the player nicknames and team names throughout the competition. Once the team has earned ranking points, the following rule starts to apply:

• A team can change their name and logo once during the competition. The change will be reviewed by the Administration Team before approval. Any requests after the first change will be decided upon by the Administration Team on a case-by-case basis.

1.8.2 Names, Symbols and Sponsors

The Tournament Administration Team reserves the right to forbid the use of unwanted names and/or symbols in their competitions. Any legally protected words or symbols are generally forbidden unless the owner gives permission to use them.

No advertisement or promotion of sponsors that solely or widely represent other game companies, game publishers or game platforms, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, pornography, weapons, betting or gambling, or any companies, products or services related to the above. is allowed in connection to the Brawl Stars Championship.

User-generated content will be governed by the Supercell Terms of Service.

1.8.3 Fake account usage

All players must use their own accounts. Account sharing is not allowed under any circumstances - players that are found sharing their account or breaching any other aspect of the Supercell Terms of Service before, during or after the tournament will be removed from the competition and appropriate action will be taken on their Brawl Stars account. 

1.8.4 Change of accounts

Players may not change accounts/account names once they’ve started their participation in the Brawl Stars Championship. The Administration Team may in special cases decide to allow account/name changes.

1.8.5 Deny of Participation

The Tournament Administration team reserves the right to deny the participation of any player for any reason and precaution.

2. Tournament

The tournament will consist of four parts:

• Ingame Championship Challenge (global)
• Regional Online Qualifier (regional)
• Monthly Finals (global)
• World Finals (global)

2.1 Tournament administration contact

There will be three main ways of communicating with the Tournament Administration:

• ESL Play Support tickets - only for help during the ongoing tournaments.
• Official Brawl Stars Championship Discord Server - for current tournament matters / small announcements.
• Tournament Administration email - where all the official communication will be handled, eg. regarding transfers, name changes and captain change requests. Email us at: [email protected]

2.2 Regions

Players will participate in the tournament based on the regions where they reside and can provide proof of residency. Each of the regions will have it’s own ranking table, and amount of slots in the Monthly Finals:

• Europe, Middle East and Africa - short name “Europe” - 3 Slots
• APAC - including Korea and Japan - short name “APAC”- 2 Slots
• Mainland China - short name “China” - 1 Slot
• North America & LATAM North - short name “NA & LATAM N” - 1 Slot
• LATAM South - short name “LATAM S” - 1 Slot

The Slot distribution in the Monthly Finals are subject to change.

2.2.1 Residency requirements

A player is deemed to be a Resident of a region, if such player has legally resided a region for more than three months before participating in the first game of the tournament. 

All players are required to state their residency in their ESL Play profile and update it as soon as they legally change it. When requested by the Tournament Administration, the player is required to provide proof of residency. All Monthly Finals participants will be required to provide proof of residency before participating in the event.

2.2.1.1 Proof of residency for players over 18 years of age

Players over the age of 18 may prove their residency, providing the Tournament Administration with:

• Official, Government Documentation
• Private Documentation - like school records, bills, bank records or employment records - which undoubtedly state players residency at an address for an extended period of time.

2.2.1.2 Proof of residency for players below 18 years of age

Players under the age of 18 may prove their residency, providing the Tournament Administration with:

• School records
• Parents records - a proof of parent-child relationship and a proof that one of the parents lives in the region, similar to ones from point 2.1.1.1

2.2.2 Change of residency between the tournaments

If a player wants to change his residency between the tournaments, they are allowed to change it within the same region of participation without any restrictions.

If a player wants to change his residency to another region of play and wishes to continue playing in Brawl Stars Championship, he is required to inform the Administration team of the fact, and provide proof of residency in the new region as in the point 2.2.1.1

2.2.3 Regional Point systems - Regional Online Qualifiers

Teams from each region will earn ranking points to qualify for the World Finals based on the region they participate in. Top ranked teams in the Regional Online Qualifiers are rewarded with a slot in the Monthly Finals:

• • Europe:
    • Rank 1 - Qualifies for Monthly Finals
    • Rank 2 - Qualifies for Monthly Finals
    • Rank 3 - Qualifies for Monthly Finals
    • Rank 4 - 20 points
    • Ranks 5-8 - 10 point

• APAC:

• • • Rank 1 - Qualifies for Monthly Finals
    • Rank 2 - Qualifies for Monthly Finals
    • Rank 3 - 20 points
    • Rank 4 - 10 points

• China:

• • • Rank 1 - Qualifies for Monthly Finals 
    • Rank 2 - 20 points
    • Rank 3 - 10 points
    • Rank 4 - 10 points

• NA & LATAM N:

• • • Rank 1 - Qualifies for Monthly Finals 
    • Rank 2 - 20 points
    • Rank 3 - 10 points
    • Rank 4 - 10 points

• LATAM S:

• • Rank 1 - Qualifies for Monthly Finals 
  • Rank 2 - 20 points
  • Rank 3 - 10 points
  • Rank 4 - 10 points

If the Monthly Finals cannot be played in-person in the studio, please refer to 2.13 for the Monthly Finals Slot distribution.

2.2.3.1 Korean region move and addition of China 

After the first half-season, the Korea leaderboard was merged with the APAC & Japan leaderboard. This combined region is now called Asia Pacific / APAC with two slots for offline Monthly Finals and World Finals. All points earned by Korean teams until that point are carried over into the newly merged APAC Leaderboard.

Newly introduced Chinese region gets its own Leaderboard and a slot in the World Finals.

2.2.4 Monthly Finals point system

Teams that advance to the Monthly Finals earn points according to their placement:

• Rank 1 - 100 points
• Rank 2 - 80 points
• Rank 3 - 60 points
• Rank 4 - 60 points 
• Rank 5 - 40 points
• Rank 6 - 40 points 
• Rank 7 - 40 points
• Rank 8 - 40 points

2.3 Match formats

Depending on the stage of the competition, the match will be played in various formats. We will establish the vocabulary and the formats to be as follows:

• Game - is one game played on pre-selected Mode and map.

• Set - is a Best of 3 or Best of 5 played on one of the following modes of play available in Brawl Stars:

• • • Siege
    • Bounty
    • Gem Grab
    • Heist
    • Brawl Ball

• Match  - depending on a Round of the tournament, is a Best of 1, Best of 3 or a Best of 5 of Sets. During the Regional Online Qualifiers, all sets consist of Best of 3 games

The pre-selected Mode and map will always be visible on the Match page on ESL Play.

2.3.1 Best of 1

Best of 1 means players will play only one Set, on the pre-selected Mode and Map:

• Game 1 
• Game 2
• If the game score is 1:1, Game 3

2.3.2 Best of 3

Means players will play up to 3 Sets, team is declared a winner as soon as they win 2 Sets:

• Set 1 - Mode and map 1:

• • • Game 1
    • Game 2
    • If the game score is 1:1, Game 3

• Set 2 - Mode and map 2:

• • • Game 1
    • Game 2
    • If the game score is 1:1, Game 3

• Set 3 - Mode and map 3 (played only if Set score is 1:1):

• • Game 1
  • Game 2
  • If the game score is 1:1, Game 3

2.3.3 Best of 5

Means players will play up to 5 Sets, team is declared a winner as soon as they win 3 Sets:

• Set 1 - Mode and map 1:

• • • Game 1
    • Game 2
    • If the game score is 1:1, Game 3

• Set 2 - Mode and map 2:

• • • Game 1
    • Game 2
    • If the game score is 1:1, Game 3

• Set 3 - Mode and map 3:

• • • Game 1
    • Game 2
    • If the game score is 1:1, Game 3

• Set 4 - Mode and map 4 (played only if no team has won 3 Sets):

• • • Game 1
    • Game 2
    • If the game score is 1:1, Game 3

• Set 5 - Mode and map 5 (played only if no team has won 3 Sets):

• • Game 1
  • Game 2
  • If the game score is 1:1, Game 3

2.4 Map pool

For Regional Online Qualifiers the maps and modes will be available on the ESL Play bracket page. For the Monthly Finals they will be communicated to the participants as part of the event handbook.

2.5 Championship Challenge

• • Each player must first complete the in-game Championship Challenge event for the current month.
  • Winning 15 Championship Challenge matches (while not losing more than 2 matches) will allow the players to participate in the further stage of the Qualifiers - Regional Online Qualifiers on ESL Play
  • The Championship Challenge will be played every month for 8 months on the following dates:
    • January 11th

• February 8th

• March 14th 

• April 11th

• May 9th 

• June 13th 

• July 11th (exact date will be confirmed 1 month in advance)

• August 8th (exact date will be confirmed 1 month in advance)

2.6 ESL Play Regional Online Qualifier

• Single Elimination bracket
• Match format determined by the round of play and to be seen on the tournament pages 
• Team Registration Limit: No limit
• The top teams of each Regional Online Qualifier will advance to the Monthly Finals
• Brawler Ban rule in place:
  • Team on the left side of the match page on ESL Play bans one brawler of their choice, writing down his name in english as a match comment and posting it. 
  • After the team on the left side of the match page has banned the brawler and posted it, the team on the right side of the match page is allowed to ban a brawler of their choice in the same manner.
  • After both teams have banned the brawler and those bans are clearly visible on the match page, the match can be started.
  • The team on the top side of the Match Chat bans one brawler of their choice, writing down his name in english in the Match Chat and adding “ban” at the end, ie. “Leon ban”. 
  • After the team on the top side of the Match Chat has banned, team on the bottom side of the chat is allowed to ban a brawler of  their choice in the same manner.
  • After both teams have banned the brawler and those bans are clearly visible in the chat, the match can be started.
  • For every match, teams are allowed to ban 1 brawler each. Both banned brawlers cannot be used by either team for the duration of the match.
  • If one of the teams picks a banned brawler, the whole map will be replayed. If a team picks a banned brawler for the second time in the same match - they will receive a default loss for the match.
  • For the ban to be valid, the teams can execute the bans in 2 ways - in the Match page comments, or in the ESL Match Chat.
  • The Match Page comments brawler ban should be exected as follows:
  • The Match Chat brawler ban should be executed as follows:

• • The ESL Play Regional Online Qualifier will be played on the following dates:

• 18-19 January

• January 25-26th for APAC & Japan

• 15-16 February

• 21-22 March 

• 18-19 April 

• 16-17 May 

• 20-21 June 

• 18-19 July (exact date will be confirmed 1 month in advance)

• 15-16 August (exact date will be confirmed 1 month in advance)

• ESL Gaming Polska sp. z o.o. reserves the right to verify the competitors age via „ID Request” option on ESL Play platform. If a player, that would be asked to verify his age, did not respond until the time of his team’s next match, the ESL Gaming Polska sp. z o.o. reserves the right to disqualify the team from the cup.

2.6.1 ESL Play Regional Qualifier participation rules

• Players have to make sure they are logged into the same game account they linked to ESL Play and completed Championship Challenge with. Logging into a wrong account will result in the player not receiving lobby invites.
• Players have to make sure that when the tournament starts, they are not in any lobby or party - this also results in the player not receiving lobby invites.
• Players have to make sure they do not have in-game "do not disturb" mode on - this stops the lobby invites from appearing on screen.
• Players should be wary not to click the "IGNORE" button as a response to the lobby invitation.
• If a team is not in the lobby in 15 minutes after the lobby invitations were sent, that team will receive default loss automatically.
• If a team finds any problem during their match - It’s mandatory to open a protest ticket on ESL Play or to contact our admin at support channel on discord for assistance, as soon as possible.

2.7 Monthly Finals (global events)

8 qualified teams from all regions will be placed into single elimination bracket. Each Monthly Finals event will consist of 1 media day and 2 days of broadcasts, and will be played in ESL Arena in Katowice, Poland. 

If the Monthly Finals cannot be played in-person in the studio, please refer to 2.13 for Online Monthly Finals rules, schedule, prize and point distribution.

2.7.1 Attendance on the media day

Each qualified team is required to attend the media day, which will be held one day before the official tournament start. 

2.7.2 Schedule

This is the tournament schedule for each monthly finals event:

Day 1: Quarterfinals

• Quarterfinal 1 - played in a Best of 5 format - starting 12:15 CET
• Quarterfinal 2 - played in a Best of 5 format - starting after Quarterfinal 1, latest 13:15 
• Quarterfinal 3 - played in a Best of 5 format - starting after Quarterfinal 2, latest 14:15 
• Quarterfinal 4 - played in a Best of 5 format - starting after Quarterfinal 3, latest 15:15 

Day 2: Semifinals and Grand Final

• Semifinal #1 - played in a Best of 5 format - starting 12:15 CET
• Semifinal #2 - played in a Best of 5 format - starting after Semifinal 1, latest 13:15 
• Grand Final - played in a Best of 5 format - starting after Semifinal 2, latest 14:15
  • Grand Final’s sets are going to be played in a Best of 5 format, instead of the usual Best of 3 Sets. Teams will need to win 3 out of 5 games played in each mode.

2.7.3 Calendar

The Offline Qualifiers will be played in Katowice, Poland, on:

• 7-8 March - Teams qualified in January Regional Online Qualifier
• 4-5 April - Teams qualified in February Regional Online Qualifier
• 2-3 May - Teams qualified in March Regional Online Qualifier 
• 6-7 June - Teams qualified in April Regional Online Qualifier 
• 4-5 July - Teams qualified in May Regional Online Qualifier (exact date will be confirmed 1 month in advance)
• 1-2 August - Teams qualified in June Regional Online Qualifier (exact date will be confirmed 1 month in advance)
• 5-6 September - Teams qualified in July Regional Online Qualifier (exact date will be confirmed 1 month in advance)
• 3-4 October - Teams qualified in August Regional Online Qualifier (exact date will be confirmed 1 month in advance)

2.7.4 Monthly Finals Prize Money Distribution 

• 1st place – 25 000 $ 
• 2nd place – 12 500 $
• 3rd place – 6 250 $
• 4th place – 6 250 $
• 5th place – 3 125 $
• 6th place – 3 125 $
• 7th place – 3 125 $
• 8th place – 3 125 $

2.7.5 Monthly Finals Brawler bans

An additional rule will be in place for the Monthly Finals:

• Each team will blindly ban one brawler for the duration of their match. The bans will be made with the Administration Team before the start of each match. The banned brawlers will not be allowed to be picked by either of the teams.
• If both teams ban the same brawler, only one brawler is banned for that match.

2.7.6 Championship Challenge completion in regards to Monthly Finals

Every team’s lineup for the monthly finals has to consist of at least 2 (for 3 player teams) or at least 3 (for 4 player teams) players that have completed the Championship Challenge, and have played and qualified to the Monthly Finals during the ESL Play Regional Qualifier. 

2.8 World Finals

Teams will qualify for the World Finals based on the points they earn over the course of the Championship, through the Regional Online Qualifiers and Monthly Finals.

Each region will have its own ranking table, and after the last Monthly Final, the best teams from those ranking tables will advance to the 8 team World Finals in the following manner:

• Europe & MEA - 3 teams
• APAC - 2 teams
• China- 1 team
• NA & LATAM N - 1 team
• LATAM S - 1 team

Final slot numbers and region distribution are subject to change.

After the first half-season the Korea region merged with the APAC & Japan region, creating the APAC region, which holds two slots to the World Finals.
Newly created Chinese region will receive 1 slot in the World Finals.

2.8.1 Prize Money Distribution

The amount of prize money for World Finals and it’s distribution will be announced at a later date.

2.9 Seeding

The seeding determines the preliminary ranking that each team receives before the beginning of each tournament phase in order to be matched against another team. The seeding for all January Regional Qualifiers will be randomized. The seeding in all Regional Qualifiers after January will be determined based on the team’s placements in the current Regional rankings. For e.g. the leading team in the European ranking will receive the best seeding number position (1) and the last ranked team, with the lowest amount of points, will receive the worst possible seeding number position. Teams without any points earned will be placed in the bracket randomly.

2.10 Match changes

The Tournament Administration may, at its sole discretion, change the start time of a match. The Tournament Administration will notify all involved players at the earliest possible convenience.

2.11 Game preparations

Please resolve any problems that might occur before a match starts. Connection or hardware problems during a match could lead to a disqualification by Administration Team. Agreements between the teams/players have to be posted as match comments. The match must be played with the correct settings.

2.11.1 Failure to appear / No Show

Each team has 15 minutes to show up to an online match (match start date +15 minutes). Showing up after 15 minutes will result in a default loss. The team that is waiting must open a protest ticket in order to request the default win. Please keep in mind, if a player did show up in time, but needs to leave to sort an issue, it does not count as a no show if he's not back after match date + 15 minutes. Abuse of this exception will lead to a default loss of the match. Please open a protest ticket if you feel that the player is abusing this rule.

2.11.2 Results

In case the Matchmaking Service is not working, both teams are responsible to enter the correct results on the ESL website. Therefore, both players have to take a screenshot at the end of the match, where the Tournament Admin can see the correct result, and then upload it to the ESL website. If you have a conflict with the match result, please open a protest ticket. Both players can be disqualified if there is not enough proof to declare a winner.

2.11.2.1 Draws in case of Regional Online Qualifiers 

Although very unlikely, a draw is possible. In case of a game showing a “DRAW” screen after a game, an extra game would be played to determine the winning team. That extra game after a draw can be played with different brawlers and star powers.

2.11.3 Abandoning / Forfeit

In the event a team is online, has played at least 1 battle but has not responded within 15 minutes to any of the contact ways that we have on ESL Play (Chat, Protest ticket or Personal Message), they will be granted a default loss, resulting in a disqualification from the current Regional Online Qualifier.

2.11.4 Screenshots

A screenshot of the on-screen results must be made for every game that is played. If requested, the teams will be responsible for uploading the screenshots to the match page - One screenshot showing each result (e.g. per each round) is needed and can be uploaded by either the winner or the loser.

2.11.5 Match Media

All match media, if requested, must be uploaded and kept for at least 14 days on ESL Play. Faking or manipulating match media is forbidden and will result in severe penalties. Match media (screenshots) should be named clearly based on what it is - the name should contain:

• Match date
• Team names
• Number of the Set
• Number of the Game inside the Set
• Name of the Mode and map

For example: 

• 19-01-2020 Team X vs Team Y, Game 3, Set 2, Brawl Ball - Pitch

2.11.6 Definition of Match Media

Match media are all uploads, including but not limited to: screenshots, ESL Wire files, demos, models and videos.

2.11.7 Casting and streaming

The Tournament Administration shall be performing a live broadcast during the Monthly Finals. By competing in the Monthly Finals, all players agree to be recorded as part of the in-person broadcast. In addition, the Tournament Administration may choose to broadcast the Regional Online Qualifier matches to which all competing players give their consent by taking part in the Regional Online Qualifier events. 

2.11.7.1 Observers

Only Observers organized by the Administration Team and people that are given permission by them (e.g. shoutcasters or streams) are permitted to broadcast the matches. 

2.11.8 Substitutions

During Online Regional Online Qualifiers, teams are allowed to substitute the players without restriction within the four players signed up for the team.

During Monthly Finals, teams are only allowed to substitute the players between the matches.

2.12 Technical Issues

Players are responsible for their own technical issues, including hardware, software and internet issues. Matches will not be rescheduled because of technical issues and matches will be played nevertheless.

During offline tournaments, players are responsible to report all technical issues to a referee immediately. 

Any player encountering a technical issue can and should flag a referee to request a restart of the game (rematch). To signal an issue, a player should:

• Raise his hand in a way that would be visible to a referee.
• Put down his device immediately.
• NOT continue to play the game (other players on the team can decide to continue to play until the referee decision has been made).
• If player encountering the issue will continue to play, the request for rematch will not count.
• If rematch is granted, the teams are not allowed to change brawlers, star power and banned brawler.
• If rematch is not granted, the team who requested the rematch might receive a loss for that game - will be decided by the referee on a case-by-case basis.

Players will be further familiarized with procedures related to the Monthly Final events during an on-site briefing.

2.13 Online Monthly Finals Format and changes to the Qualifier format

Due to concerns about the health and well-being of our players, we will play Monthly Finals online until we are comfortable inviting players back in the studio. For studio shows we will refer to the original format mentioned in section 2.7. For the Online Monthly Finals format will be described below. The World Finals slot distribution remains the same as described in section 2.8.

2.13.1 Qualified teams

Monthly Finals will consist of 4 groups of 3 teams from the Online Qualifier:

• Asia: 1st + 2nd + 3rd teams from APAC Qualifier
• Europe: 1st + 2nd + 3rd teams from Europe Qualifier
• LATAM South: 1st + 2nd + 3rd teams from LATAM South Qualifier
• NA & LATAM North: 1st + 2nd + 3rd teams from NA & LATAM North Qualifier

2.13.2 Qualifier Changes

Due to the format change, LATAM South and NA & LATAM North Qualifier format will have to change:

LATAM South Region:

The qualifier will start as usual, but the rewards for top placement will change:

• 1st place – advances to Monthly Finals
• 2nd place – advances to Monthly Finals 
• 3rd place – advances to Monthly Finals 
• 4th place – 10 ranking points

We will also not play the Final Match, but we will be playing the 3rd place match to decide the third team advancing to Monthly Finals.

NA & LATAM North Region:

The qualifier will start as usual, but the rewards for top placement prizes will change:

• 1st place – advances to Monthly Finals
• 2nd place – advances to Monthly Finals
• 3rd place – advances to Monthly Finals
• 4th place – 10 ranking points

We will also not play the Final Match, but we will be playing the 3rd place match to decide the third team advancing to Monthly Finals.

2.13.3 Broadcast schedule

• Day 1 – Saturday:
  • 10:00 - 11:55 CEST – Asia – Group Play – single round-robin group play between top 3 teams, Best of 3 Sets, Best of 5 Match
  • 12:00 - 13:55 CEST – Europe – Group Play – single round-robin group play between top 3 teams, Best of 3 Sets, Best of 5 Match
• Day 2 – Sunday:
  • 16:00 - 17:55 CEST – LATAM South – Group Play – single round-robin group play between top 3 teams, Best of 3 Sets, Best of 5 Match
  • 18:00 - 19:55 CEST – NA & LATAM North – Group Play – single round-robin group play between top 3 teams, Best of 3 Sets, Best of 5 Match

2.13.4 Prize pool & points distribution for the Online Monthly Finals

• NA and LATAM North:
  • 1st place – $9.000 + 50 pts
  • 2nd place – $2.000 + 30 pts
  • 3rd place – $1.250 + 20 pts
• LATAM South:
  • 1st place – $9.000 + 50 pts
  • 2nd place – $2.000 + 30 pts
  • 3rd place – $1.250 + 20 pts
• Europe:
  • 1st place – $9.000 + 70 pts
  • 2nd place – $6.000 + 50 pts
  • 3rd place – $4.000 + 40 pts
• Asia:
  • 1st place – $9.000 + 70 pts
  • 2nd place– $6.000 + 50 pts
  • 3rd place – $4.000 + 40 pts

3. Code of conduct

3.1 Competition Conduct

3.1.1 Unfair Play

The following actions will be considered unfair play and will be subject to penalties at the discretion of the tournament Administration Team.

3.2 Collusion

Collusion is defined as any agreement among two (2) or more players and/or confederates to disadvantage opposing players. 

Collusion includes, but is not limited to, acts such as:

1. Soft play, which is defined as any agreement among two (2) or more players to not damage, impede or otherwise play to a reasonable standard of competition in a game
2. Pre-arranging to split prize money and/or any other form of compensation
3. Sending or receiving signals, electronic or otherwise, from a confederate to/from a player
4. Deliberately losing a game for compensation, or for any other reason, or attempting to induce another player to do so

3.3 Competitive Integrity

Teams are expected to play at their best at all times within any tournament  game, and to avoid any behavior inconsistent with the principles of good sportsmanship, honesty, or fair play.

3.4 Hacking

Hacking is defined as any modification of the Brawl Stars game client by any player, team or person acting on behalf of a player or a team.

3.5 Exploiting

Exploiting is defined as intentionally using any in-game bug to seek an advantage.

Exploiting penalties will be in the sole determination of the Administration Team.

3.6 Intentional Disconnection

An intentional disconnection without a proper and explicitly-stated reason.

3.7 Brawl Stars Championship Discretion

Any other further act, failure to act, or behavior which, in the sole judgment of the Administration Team, violates these Rules and/or the standards of integrity established by Brawl Stars Championship  for competitive game play.

3.8 Profanity and Hate Speech

A Team Member may not use language that is obscene, foul, vulgar, insulting, threatening, abusive, libelous, slanderous, defamatory or otherwise offensive or objectionable; or promote or incite hatred or discriminatory conduct, in or near the match area, at any time. A Team Member may not use any facilities, services or equipment provided or made available by the Administration Team or its contractors to post, transmit, disseminate or otherwise make available any such prohibited communications. A Team Member may not use this type of language on social media or during any public facing events such as streaming.

3.9 Disruptive Behavior /Insults

A Team Member may not take any action or perform any gesture directed at an opposing Team Member, fan, or official, or incite any other individual(s) to do the same, which is insulting, mocking, disruptive or antagonistic.

3.10 Abusive Behavior

Abuse of the Administration Team, opposing Team Members, or audience members will not be tolerated. Repeated etiquette violations, including but not limited to touching another player’s computer, body or property will result in penalties. Team Members and their guests (if any) must treat all individuals attending a match with respect.

3.11 Studio Interference

No Team Member may touch or otherwise interfere with lights, cameras or other studio equipment. Team Members may not stand on chairs, tables or other studio equipment. Team Members must follow all instructions of the studio personnel.

3.12 Unauthorized Communications

All mobile phones, tablets and other voice-enabled and/or “ringing” electronic devices must be removed from the play area before the game. Players may not text/email or use social media while in the match area. During the match, communication by a Player shall be limited to the players on their team.

3.13 Apparel

The Administration Team reserves the right at all times to impose a ban on objectionable or offensive apparel:

1. Containing any false, unsubstantiated, or unwarranted claims for any product or service, or testimonials, that the Administration Team in its sole and absolute discretion, considers unethical.
2. Advertising any non-"over the counter" drug, tobacco product, firearm, handgun or ammunition.
3.  Containing any material that is defamatory, obscene, profane, vulgar, repulsive or offensive, or that describes or depicts any internal bodily functions or symptomatic results of internal conditions, or refers to matters which are not considered socially acceptable topics.
4. Advertising any pornographic website or pornographic products.
5. Containing any trademark, copyrighted material or other element of intellectual property that is used without the owner's consent or that may give rise to, or subject Brawl Stars Championship or its affiliates to, any claim of infringement, misappropriation, or other form of unfair competition.
6. Disparaging or libeling any opposing team or player or any other person, entity or product.
7. The Administration Team reserves the right to refuse entry or continued participation in the match to any Team Member who does not comply with the aforementioned apparel rules.

3.14 Identity

A player may not cover his or her face or attempt to conceal his or her identity from the Administration Team. The Administration Team must be able to distinguish the identity of each player at all times and may instruct players to remove any material that inhibits the identification of players or is a distraction to other players or Administration Team. For this reason, any hat with a brim must be worn backwards such that the brim does not interfere with the line of sight of any camera.  Similarly, no accessories such as bandanas, dark sunglasses, masks, scarves and such may be worn at the play area and the match area

3.15 Unprofessional Behavior

3.15.1 Accountability

Unless expressly stated otherwise, offenses and infringements of these Rules are punishable, whether or not they were committed intentionally. Attempts to commit such offenses or infringements are also punishable.

3.15.2 Harassment

Harassment is forbidden. Harassment is defined as systematic, hostile and repeated acts taking place over a considerable period of time, which are intended to isolate or ostracize a person and/or affect the dignity of the person.

3.15.3 Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is forbidden. Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances. The assessment is based on whether a reasonable person would regard the conduct as undesirable or offensive. There is zero tolerance for any sexual threats/coercion or the promise of advantages in exchange for sexual favors.

3.15.4 Discrimination and Denigration

Team Members may not offend the dignity or integrity of a country, private person or group of people through contemptuous, discriminatory or denigrating words or actions on account of race, skin color, ethnic, national or social origin, gender, language, religion, political opinion or any other opinion, financial status, birth or any other status, sexual orientation or any other reason.

3.15.5 Statements Regarding Brawl Stars Championship, Supercell, and Brawl Stars

Team Members may not give, make, issue, authorize or endorse any statement or action having, or designed to have, an effect prejudicial or detrimental to the best interest of the tournament, Supercell or its affiliates, or Brawl Star,, as determined in the sole and absolute discretion of the tournament.

3.15.6 Releasing Information Without Approval

Teams will be asked to submit paperwork for approval or visibility throughout the tournament. Early announcements can disrupt the competitive scouting a team would use to create strategies for upcoming matches. For this reason, if a Team Member has been told not to release information, as it may undermine the competitive process, and the Team Member proceeds to release said information, then the Team Member and/or Team will be subject to penalties.

3.15.7 Player Behavior Investigation

If the Administration Team determines that a Team or Team Member has violated the Brawl Stars Terms of Use, or other rules of Brawl Stars, Administration Team may assign penalties at their sole discretion. If the Administration Team contacts a Team Member to discuss the investigation, the Team Member is obligated to tell the truth. If a Team Member withholds information or misleads the Administration Team creating an obstruction of the investigation then the Team and/or Team Member is subject to punishment.

3.15.8 Criminal Activity

A Team Member may not engage in any activity which is prohibited by common law, statute, or treaty and which leads to or may be reasonably deemed likely to lead to conviction in any court of competent jurisdiction.

3.15.9 Moral Turpitude

A Team Member may not engage in any activity which is deemed by the tournament to be immoral, disgraceful, or contrary to conventional standards of proper ethical behavior.

3.15.10 Confidentiality

A Team Member may not disclose any confidential information provided by the Administration Team or any affiliate of Supercell, by any method of communication, including all social media channels.

3.15.11 Bribery

No Team Member may offer any gift or reward to a player, coach, manager, Administration Team, or person connected with or employed by another tournament team for services promised, rendered, or to be rendered in defeating or attempting to defeat a competing team.

3.15.12 No Poaching or Tampering

No Team Member or Affiliate of a team may solicit, lure, or make an offer of employment to any Team Member who is signed to any tournament team, nor encourage any such Team Member to breach or otherwise terminate a contract with said Tournament team. Violations of this rule shall be subject to penalties, at the discretion of the Administration Team. To inquire about the status of a Team Member from another team, managers must contact the management of the team that the player is currently contracted with. The inquiring team must inform the Administration Team of their inquiry before discussing the players contract.

3.15.13 Gifts

No Team Member may accept any gift, reward or compensation for services promised, rendered, or to be rendered in connection with competitive play of the game, including services related to defeating or attempting to defeat a competing team or services designed to throw or fix a match or game. The sole exception to this rule shall be in the case of performance-based compensation paid to a Team Member by a team's official sponsor or owner.

3.15.14 Non-Compliance

No Team Member may refuse or fail to apply the reasonable instructions or decisions of the Administration Team.

3.15.15 Match-Fixing

No Team Member may offer, agree, conspire, or attempt to influence the outcome of a game or match by any means that are prohibited by law or these Rules.

3.15.16 Document or Miscellaneous Requests

Documentation or other reasonable items may be required at various times throughout the tournament as requested by the Administration Team. If the documentation is not completed to the standards set by the Administration Team, then a team may be subject to penalties. Penalties may be imposed if the items requested are not received and completed at the required time.

3.15.17 Association with Gambling

No Team Member or an Administration Team may take part, either directly or indirectly, in betting or gambling on any results of any Brawl Stars  tournament or match globally.

3.16 Penalties

Any person found to have engaged in or attempted to engage in any act that the Administration Team in its sole and absolute discretion, constitutes unfair play, will be subject to penalty. 

Upon discovery of any Team Member committing any violations of the rules listed above, the Administration Team may, without limitation of its authority, issue the following penalties:

1. Warning
2. Removal of Brawler Bans
3. Suspension(s)
4. Disqualification

Repeated infractions are subject to escalating penalties, up to, and including, disqualification from future participation in Brawl Stars Tournaments. It should be noted that penalties may not always be imposed in a successive manner. Tournament Administration, in its sole discretion, for example, can disqualify a player for a first offense if the action of said player is deemed egregious enough to be worthy of disqualification by the Administration Team.

3.17 Right to Publish

The Administration Team shall have the right to publish a declaration stating that a Team Member has been penalized. Any Team Members and/or team which may be referenced in such declaration hereby waive any right of legal action against the tournament , Supercell and/or any of their parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, agents, or contractors.

3.18 Sponsorships

Brawl Stars Championship teams have the ability to acquire sponsors throughout the tournament.  Sponsorship acquisition is unrestricted. If the sponsor falls under the ensuing limited categories then the sponsorship may not be displayed by the players during the use or play of Brawl Stars, adjacent to Brawl Stars related material, the Brawl Stars Championship, or any Supercell-affiliated events. The Administration Team has the ability to update the category list at any time. 

The following is a nonexclusive list of restricted sponsors:

1. Esports Teams/Organizations:  No more than one single team may use the same Esports team/organization's name as its team name.
2. Gambling Websites: defined as any website that aids or abets the wagering of funds on a sporting/Esports event and/or allows for the wagering of funds in casino games including poker. 
3. Non-“over-the-counter” drugs
4. Firearms, handguns, or ammunition providers
5. Websites displaying or related to pornographic imagery or products
6. Products or services from direct competitors
7. Tobacco products, including but not limited to e-cigarettes, vapes, and cigarettes
8. Alcohol brands and products

3.19 Devices

For all phases of the competition, all players must play on a mobile device (smartphone or tablet). Emulators or any software that modifies the game to be played via PC or other unauthorized devices are banned. Players caught using such software will be excluded from the competition.

For all offline phases of the competition there will be devices provided at the location and all players must provide their personal devices to the admin team until the end of their stage match.

Since the teams will temporarily receive tournament devices, there will be a time period allocated for them to adjust their settings at least one day prior to the competition.

The model of the provided devices will be announced before the first studio show.

4. Communication and support

4.1 Support

Please use the match chat, located on the bottom right hand side of ESL Play, or submit a support ticket for any assistance during the competition.

4.2 Administration Team

All participants must adhere to the decisions and rules of the tournament Administration Team, admins, and referees. All decisions are final, except in cases where the option to appeal is clearly stated.

4.3 Cheating

Any form of cheating will not be tolerated. When cheating is uncovered the team in question will immediately be removed from the tournament and banned from all competitions for 6 months. Players may be requested to install anti cheat software on their devices for the duration of the tournament. Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to:

4.3.1 DDoSing

Limiting, or attempting to limit, another participant’s connection to the game through a Distributed Denial of Service attack or any other means.

4.3.2 Match Fixing

Attempting to intentionally alter the results of a match by losing or otherwise trying to affect the results.

4.3.3 Software or Hardware

Using any software or hardware to gain benefits that are otherwise not available in-game. Examples include, but are not limited to: any 3rd party software (unapproved apps that manipulate gameplay), playing on private servers, scripted attacks. For more information please visit Supercell's Safe and Fair Play page and Terms of Service.

4.4 Disqualification

The Tournament Administration reserves the right to disqualify teams and players. Any team found to be using a known exploit will forfeit their game upon the first occurrence of the exploit. If the team is found to use another known exploit for a second time, and it is determined to have been done on purpose, they will be removed from the event and barred from any future events.

5. Penalty points catalogue

In general, a player and the team can receive up to 6 penalty points per match, unless a single violation has a higher punishment. A team is only punished once per violation, regardless of how many players violated the rule. When a player or team receives penalty points for multiple violations, the penalty points are added together. 

Reaching 4 penalty points means a team will get a default loss for the match in question.

In addition to losing the match for which the penalty points have been given, reaching 4 penalty points results in an ESL Play ban. Reaching the following thresholds results in the following duration of the ban:

• 4 penalty points - 1 week ban
• 8 penalty points - 2 week ban
• 12 penalty points - 2 year ban (possibility of rehab after 6 months)

5.1 Fines

The Tournament Administration reserves the right to fine or pay out reduced winnings to the teams for any infringement of the Rulebook. 

6. Terms of Service

By signing up and participating all players agree with Supercells Safe and Fair Play policy, Supercell’s Terms of Service and confirm that their accounts are in good standing. 

By signing up to Brawl Stars Championship on ESL Play, players agree that their accounts will be investigated for violations of Supercell’s Terms of Service and the result of such an investigation will be shared with ESL.

Breach or breaches of the Supercell Terms of Service can lead up to and including exclusion from the competition.